Kingsville

KINGSVILLE, ONTARIO – Henry Noestheden and Cor Boon had hoped to start things slow. Maybe ease into their chocolate-making business a little, as a pair of guys aged 68 and 75, respectively, might want to do. But on their second day of business at ODG Chocolates (it stands for Old Dutch Guys) they sold one of their bird-shaped chocolates to a journalist who was heading to nearby Pelee Island and wanted to give a gift to a bird-loving author who spends her summers there. Yeah, a certain Canadian writer named Margaret Atwood. “She loved the bird so much she put
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ALONG THE LAKE ERIE SHORELINE – The luscious scent of lavender. A zippy Chardonnay. A tranquil boardwalk. And a ridiculously good hamburger served on a perfect patio. I’ve been to Windsor many times, but my recent summer trip along part of the Lake Erie shore through the Windsor-Essex-Point Pelee area was my first exposure to the region’s natural wonders and to some of its towns. And I came away hugely impressed. The folks at Oxley Estate Winery in Harrow make an outstanding unoaked Chardonnay that’s crisp and not too sweet. It paired nicely with a quesadilla tucked with cheddar, jack
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JIM BYERS PHOTO The Lake Erie shore near Point Pelee is a peaceful oasis. ALONG ONTARIO’S LAKE ERIE SHORELINE – Great food. Wonderful people. Terrific wines. And great outdoor experiences. I really had no idea what I was in for when I told the tourism folks at Ontario’s Southwest that I wanted to do a trip along the Lake Erie shoreline. Truth be told, I’ve lived in Toronto for 33 years but had never seen the shore of this Great Lake except from an airplane. I know. I know. That’s terrible. But I think I’m like a lot of Toronto folks who
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